found the devil in me
by savingmylove
Summary: There's a fine line between love and hate when it comes to friendship. It's mostly about accepting the other person, because of their faults, not despite them.
1. Chapter 1

Caroline was being followed.

Survival instinct tells her to put as much distance between herself and the stalker as quickly as possible. But she flips around, fangs elongated, and attacks without warning. Caroline is thrown to the ground by a hybrid before she makes the split second decision to rip out his heart. He's not the first hybrid she has been forced to kill in the past three weeks, and if Klaus doesn't stop sending them after her, it won't be the last.

"Great," she grumbles. "Now there's blood under my nails."

Caroline hides the body in the forest – she knows someone finding it is inevitable, but it's not her problem anymore. She runs home to get some clothes; while staying with the Salvatore's, living in a mansion, is fun and all, there's only so long a girl can go with having two or three outfits at her disposal. There's a subtle change in the atmosphere that's as obvious as it is menacing. The moment Caroline turns to run, new change of clothes be damned, a familiar voice stops her.

"That's the fourth hybrid you've killed," he says. "We talked about this, love."

Caroline shrugs, careless. "You should have thought about that before you sent them to follow me every where I go."

She flits around her bedroom, throwing outfit after outfit into bags to take back to her new home. Klaus leans against the doorframe. "I would stop sending them if you accepted my offer."

"To stay with you at your mansion so you can 'protect' me?" Caroline scoffs. "Get real."

Klaus narrows his eyes. "Is it so hard to believe that I would want to keep you alive?"

"Whatever. I don't have time for this," she mutters, zipping up the last bag. "See ya."

As she moves to the front door, Klaus stands in her path. "I'll give you a ride."

It's better than having to walk all the way back to the Salvatore Boarding House. "You swear to take me straight to Stefan's?"

"You have my word."

Well, alright then. Caroline tosses her luggage in the backseat of the Maserati waiting outside her house. Klaus holds the passenger open and she rolls her eyes before slipping inside. The engine purrs to life. They're clothed in an awkward silence for a moment when Caroline, because she can't stand silences, decides to break it.

"This is a little flashy for Mystic Falls, don't you think?"

Klaus smirks. "I do. It's not mine. I prefer vintage. This is much too modern for my taste, sweetheart. It belongs to a dear friend of mine."

"You have friends?"

"Cute."

Caroline smiles. "But seriously. Which friend? Do I know him?"

"_She_," he stresses the word, "just got into town a few days ago, so no; I wouldn't expect you to know her. Her name is Helen. She was a great ally in a past, a very trusted friend, and an exceedingly powerful witch. But if you want to know more, you'll have to ask her. After all, I haven't seen her in over four hundred years since she was killed."

"Wait," says Caroline. "How can she be here if she was killed?"

The car stops. She looks up; they're outside the Boarding House. "That's a story for another day."

Even though the words taste like acid in her mouth, she quietly thanks him for driving her home – and don't think it doesn't feel peculiar to call this place home – and then grabs her belongings in the backseat.

"Goodnight, Caroline," is his only reply before he's zooming away.

The blonde vampire zips inside the house, where Damon's sitting on the couch with a glass of bourbon in his hand. Stefan's with him and she can tell straight away that there's something wrong. Then again, when has anything ever gone right when these two are involved?

"Is Elena okay?" Caroline demands, because it seems the only reason for their glum attitudes.

Stefan drags his hand through his hair. "She's still the same. Are you?"

"What's the supposed to mean?"

"It means," says Damon, "are you still the same Caroline, or has Klaus gotten under your skin like we all knew he eventually would?"

Caroline glares at him. She refuses to even dignify that with an answer.

"Actually, I meant, are you okay? We shouldn't have let you go alone. Did you have any trouble along the way?"

Caroline shakes her head. "Not really," she answers. "I had to kill another hybrid."

"That's our girl," says Damon, smirking.

Stefan and Caroline walk down to the cellar together, both uncharacteristically anxious and quiet, to visit the girl they've mutually agreed to keep locked down there. Elena as a vampire is harder to manage than anyone would think and Damon's no help with his suggestions to unleash her upon the town.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Caroline?"

"Yes," she says. "Elena would never forgive herself if she killed someone. So, until we can force her to turn her humanity back on, she's staying in this room. It won't be long, Stefan, trust me. Elena's just doing what feels natural – as a human, she took on the emotional baggage of more than half this town. It's normal, and quite frankly a little smart, for her to want to turn it off."

There's a crash on the door and Elena's suddenly standing there, with her face between the bars, fangs dropping. "Don't stop on my account. I do love it when you talk about me like I can't hear you."

"Yeah, well. As a vampire, you'll be hearing a lot more, so you better get used to it," says Caroline, smiling sweetly. She opens the door and, as expected, Elena tries to run past her to escape. Caroline blocks her way. "I'm sorry, were you planning on going somewhere?"

"Move," Elena snarls.

Caroline taunts her best friend with a smug smile. "Or what?" she asks. Without taking her eyes off Elena, she speaks to Stefan. "Can you go get us a couple of blood bags?"

"Are you sure I should leave you… alone?"

"I'll be fine," she looks at Elena. "I'm stronger than her, after all. She wouldn't dream of hurting me. We're best friends." The sarcasm in her voice is noticeable.

Elena scowls. "You know, I never liked you. You talk too much. You're always whining about how your life is so unfair. Well, newsflash; life isn't supposed to be easy." Sticks and stones, Caroline thinks. "I can't stand to be locked in here for another second."

"That's too bad," Caroline coos. Stefan returns, giving Caroline a blood bag, which she hands to Elena. "Drink up."

When the doppelganger refuses to drink, Caroline opens her own. She knows the scent is overpowering Elena and it's not long before the new vampire rips into her own blood bag. She empties it in seconds, so Caroline hands her a second.

"Stefan, can you give us a few minutes alone, please?" Caroline asks. When he leaves, she closes the door before sitting on the ground and leaning back against it. Elena stands there, furious. "You're not going anywhere, so you might as well just sit down. Good girl. Now, was that so hard? I know you're in there, Elena. I will get you back and when I do, I expect a new pair of shoes."

Elena says nothing. She's only been a vampire for approximately two months and Caroline battles the constant need to stake her best friend on a daily basis. There's a fine line between love and hate when it comes to friendship. It's mostly about accepting the other person, _because_ of their faults, not despite them. Caroline understands the temptation to feel nothing all too well, but that's just not the type of person Elena is.

"Loads happened today," Caroline begins, speaking quickly since she knows Elena's just dying to interrupt her with a snarky comment. Maybe she's been spending too much time with Damon; he has to be a bad influence. "I went to school, right, even though Damon was totally against it, but let's be real; I have to get an education somehow and no one in this house is willing to help me out. Plus, we were organizing our graduation dance, but so many things were going wrong. It was out of control. And then, I was walking home, and this random guy jumps out and tries to kill me."

"Too bad he wasn't successful," she deadpans.

Caroline raises her eyebrows, amused. "And here I thought you didn't care about me. By the way, you should know, we have a new teacher. You know, to replace Alaric." The name adds a change in Elena's eye. It's hardly noticeable, but Caroline sees it. She smiles internally; perhaps getting her best friend back won't be so hard. "He's a bit of a jerk, to be honest, but nice enough, I suppose. I told him you've been out with a cold for the past few weeks, but you'll be back after the weekend."

"And will I?"

"Yes. I'm betting on you turning your emotions back on before then. If not, and you kill one of our classmates, you'll just have to live with it, just like I've had to live with murdering that guy at the carnival. You're a big girl now, Elena. If you make a mistake, it's on you." Caroline gets up. "I'm going to bed now. You should sleep, too. We've got loads of stuff to do tomorrow."

Caroline retires to her new bedroom. It's far more extravagant than what she's used to. The boys insisted she have the second largest, after Damon's room, to fit all of her things. It took some time to convince Damon to agree to let her stay. But after reminding him that Elena wouldn't want to lose any more people she cares about, he seems set on making sure Caroline stays alive, no matter what.

Still, Caroline's not even sure Elena cares whether or not she lives or dies.

But if it's possible to compel Stefan to turn off his humanity, perhaps a certain some one will be willing to force Elena to turn hers back on.

-}

"Did you find it?"

Klaus glances at Helen, and then throws her the car keys. "Thanks for the loan. I searched her entire house. It's not there."

"That's impossible," she snaps. "It has to be there. I cast a spell."

Shrugging, he walks into his studio, realizing that the house is eerily quiet. Kol had company when Klaus left, which was just over an hour ago; it seems strange that his younger brother's playthings would have departed so soon.

"Where are my siblings?"

Helen licks her lips. "I could care less where Elijah is. Kol was getting on my nerves, so I daggered him and put an end to his toy. She's on your bed, by the way, if you get hungry. I'd hurry, though; she might start to rot. As for Rebekah, you daggered her and gave me your word that you would rip my head off if I freed her. So I refrained. I happen to enjoy life very much."

"She will stay that way until I'm ready to wake her up."

Helen grits her teeth. "You would discard a thousand years of loyalty because of one bad incident?"

"You've been gone a long time, love," he replies. "A lot has changed."

Klaus walks out of the room and summons the witch with a simple command. "Perhaps you'd like to explain now why you're in Mystic Falls. I know you, Helen. You're up to something."

"I am," she admits, a ghost of her smile on her face. "That, I won't deny. But until I know beyond a doubt that I can trust you, you'll be getting no information from me. You'll need it if you really wish to survive for much longer. Believe me; what I know will change your lives forever."

"Tell me."

"No. If I give you what you want, then I won't get what I want."

"And what is it that you want?"

"For you to free Rebekah," she says. "To give me your word that you'll never dagger her again, no matter what she does. And I want your help in killing one of your brother's, permanently."

Klaus is well aware of which brother she would want dead – the same one that murdered her centuries ago. A lot may have changed, but her vengeful tendencies obviously have not.

"And how can I be sure that you have anything I want?"

Helen meets his gaze, challenging. "When have I ever disappointed you?"

Because of the absolute truth in her statement, Klaus isn't sure what to feel. She's not one to brag about information she doesn't have. And if Helen can be depended on for anything, it's always managing to come through when Klaus needs it most.

She stands up. "I need you to find that stake. When I've had my vengeance, I'll stay with you and Rebekah, and it'll be just like old times."

-}{-

_**a/n: **so. i bet it's obvious that i miss the vampire diaries. more klaroline coming up. also, more about helen_.


	2. Chapter 2

The absence of his witch the next morning puts Klaus on edge. While her mission in Mystic Falls was to put an end to his brother, she wants Rebekah undaggered more. Helen's not stupid enough to ignore a direct order from Klaus, but that doesn't mean she wouldn't try her hardest to provoke him into getting what she wants. He realizes there's only one place she would be; upstairs, with his sister's corpse. Helen stands over Rebekah, just as Klaus predicted, with her hand on the dagger to pull it from her chest.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," says Klaus, leaning against the door way.

"But you're not me," she replies, "because I would."

He knows that it's hard for her to see Rebekah, for all intents and purposes, dead. They weren't best friends centuries ago for nothing. But he doesn't care enough to do anything about it. Rebekah's punishment will last at least a decade.

"Step away for the coffin, Helen."

She does. "Do you know what tomorrow is?"

"Yes. So?"

Helen turns her head a fraction and glares at him. Klaus returns the gesture with a smirk. "I saw a picture of Caroline," she answers, almost threateningly. "She's pretty, if you're into that sort of thing."

"I am." He scowls and lowers his voice. "Don't make me out you to my brothers. They won't be as lenient as I have been."

"No, I can't imagine they would be. Will you not warn him, Klaus, that he'll be dead before the following week's over?"

"To be honest, sweetheart, I'm not worried. You'll die before he does."

Helen smiles. "I like a challenge."

As she moves to take her leave, Klaus holds her waist, spinning her around until her back is right against his chest. He bows his head, his lips brush her ear, and she has a quick intake of breath. "If you ever do that again, I will kill you. Do you understand me?"

He's gone before she can answer.

"Brother," he says to Kol. "Do not, under any circumstances, let Helen release Rebekah. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal. Where are you going?"

Klaus smiles as he thinks of Caroline. "Out."

-}

"What do you _mean_ someone trashed the school?"

Over the phone, Matt sighs. "It happened last night. Your mum and the other officers are asking everyone from the committee to come down and help clean everything up."

Caroline sighs; she'd been planning on using her Saturday to teach Elena control, not clean up after some delinquent fools who thought it would be amusing to damage her town. "I'm on my way," she mutters.

Once she's showered and ready to go, deciding on a blue sundress as the days outfit, Caroline shoots downstairs. The front door is slammed suddenly when she opens it. Sighing, she looks at the hand holding it shut, and then at Damon. "What?"

"You're not going anywhere," he announces. "The council is still after you, Barbie, and you're making it way too easy for them. You're walking right into it."

Caroline nudges the floor with her toes. "I haven't got a choice. I'm the Chair of the Committee, so I have to go. Can you move? I'm gonna be late. Okay, look, fine. Why don't you come and help? That way, the faster we clean up, the faster we can get back."

Damon pauses, contemplates the thought of being a do-gooder, and releases his hold on the front door. "Don't get killed."

Smiling, she dances out the door. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Mystic Falls High School looks like a tornado just went through it. Whoever trashed the place decided to do an extremely thorough job of it. The windows and doors were shattered and there were scorch marks up the side of the building. Inside, every single locker in the hall had been forced open, and papers littered the floors.

"Caroline!"

"Oh, hey, Mrs. Lockwood," she smiles.

Tyler's mom glances around to avoid eavesdroppers, namely council members after her son and his girlfriend. "Have you heard anything?"

Caroline nods and forces a smile. "Tyler called last night. He's with Bonnie. He says they're okay. As long as he's with her, they'll both stay safe."

"And what about you, Caroline? How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, Mrs. Lockwood, really. I have to get started, but if I hear any more from Tyler, you'll be the first to know."

Caroline's lie was convincing enough. To be honest, she hasn't heard from Bonnie or Tyler in weeks, and she can't help but feel worried. It's only temporary, she reminds herself; she'll have them both back soon enough.

Holding a trashcan in one hand, Caroline moves around the halls, picking up rubbish as she goes. This would be so much easier if she could use her vampire-speed but there are too many witnesses. And if she exposes herself to her classmates, she won't have to worry about the Council anymore – Damon will stake her himself.

She bends over to gather a crumpled paper and by the time she straightens, a smirking figure is standing in front of her. "Don't do that," she snaps at Klaus.

"My apologies, sweetheart," he says, nodding to the trashcan. "Would you like some help with that?"

"I'm good, thanks. Go away."

Caroline walks away and, naturally, Klaus follows. "Fine. But first tell me which of your classmate's taste better. Perhaps that one over there will be kind enough to tap a vein."

Spinning on her heel to face him, Caroline practically throws the bin in his face. Klaus catches it, grinning. "I knew we could come to a peaceful agreement."

"Blackmail," she growls, "does not qualify as a peaceful agreement. Why are you even here?"

He shrugs, trailing after her as she gathers paper after paper, before tossing it in the bin. "I was bored at home."

"So you decided to come annoy me?"

"I grew tired of admiring your legs from a distance."

She takes the high road and ignores that, but the truth is, the only road she wants to take is the one that will allow her to run him over.

"Where's Rebekah? She's the Head of the Committee. She should be here, too," Caroline informs him.

"Rebekah won't be around for a long time."

Caroline rolls her eyes. "Meaning you daggered her."

"I thought you'd be happy, love. She turned your best friend into a vampire. She ruined my chances of making an army."

Him and that stupid army fetish, she notes. "You know, Elena told me something," Caroline reveals. "Right before you were going to drain her, which would have _killed_ her, I'm sure you realize, you told her that you didn't need hybrids anymore because you've been reunited with your family. Then Rebekah goes and forces Matt and Elena off the Wickery Bridge, so decide to dagger her? If I'm wrong to be confused, please, tell me now."

He says nothing and she feels oddly smug; she managed to silence the biggest bad. When the silence is broken, it's because of Klaus, and what she hears in his voice is something she would never have imagined could come from an Original hybrid.

"I'm sorry, Caroline."

She frowns at him. "What did you just say?"

"For what my actions against your boyfriend did to you; with the sire bond, and the possession," he clarifies; she freezes, not sure what do to. "You're possibly the only person in this town that I'd never want to hurt. I am truly sorry."

For the life of her, she can't tell if he's being sincere or not; surely, a man as geriatric as he would be a professional at deceit. It doesn't matter if he is or not; nothing has changed. He's still evil and she'll continue to despise his existence until he can show her otherwise. "I'll be honest; I'm not sure what you want me to say."

"How about you admit you find me attractive?"

And he's back.

She rolls her eyes. "No."

"No, you won't admit it?"

"No, I don't find you attractive."

Klaus laughs. "Liar."

She keeps walking. Honestly, it's more of a stomp. She regrets giving him the bin, because now she can't hit him across the head with it.

"You're attracted to me. Don't feel embarrassed, love. You're not the first person to feel that way about me, I assure you. You seem so sure that you hate me, but I could prove you wrong," he says, certain.

Caroline rolls her eyes, her gait doesn't slow. "Doubtful."

"Scared?" he taunts; she glares. "Just kiss me."

She spins on him, glaring. "Have you lost your mind?"

"It's not like we haven't kissed before. I happened to enjoy that very much, by the way, Caroline. You are a wonderful kisser, even if you didn't know it was me," he smiles. "If you can bring yourself to kiss me and feel nothing, I give you my word; I'll leave you be. You'll have no interference from me in your life for eternity. Honestly, what have you got to lose?"

"My dignity, for one!"

Klaus chuckles. "Just one little kiss," he taunts.

Caroline looks around to make sure they're alone. Of course they are. It's the only way he would have brought up his entirely ridiculous idea. She can't do it; she has a boyfriend that she loves and intends on staying loyal too. "I can't," she tells him. "You know I can't."

"I know you're scared," he says quietly. "Scared, that if you start to feel anything for me, you'll lose your friends and everyone that you care about. I'm not asking you to fall in love with me, Caroline. All I'm asking is that you open your eyes and realize that there's life outside of Mystic Falls, and outside of your regular circle of friends. I'm asking you to trust that I can show you these things."

"And I'm asking you, Klaus, to let it go," she replies. "I love Tyler."

"I don't doubt that, sweetheart. Speaking of, where is Tyler these days?"

"With Bonnie. Some where."

"Your boyfriend is off with your best friend in an unknown location and you have no idea what they're doing? You must trust them both immensely."

"Yes, I do. Just because you've been deprived of real friendship in all the years you've been on this earth, doesn't mean the rest of us will be," she mutters. "And I never said I don't know where they are."

Klaus opens his mouth to speak when his phone buzzes in his pocket and he all but growls as he answers it. "This better be good."

Caroline listens.

"_That crazy witch bitch has ruined the house. It looks like one of those modern party rooms with the bad music_."

Klaus rolls his eyes. "A nightclub, Kol?"

"_Yes! But worse; there are streamers and balloons. If you want me to kill her, I will_," comes the reply.

"No," Klaus says. "She thinks this will change my mind about undaggering Rebekah for tomorrow."

"_I don't understand_. _What's- oh,_" Kol sighs. "_I see_."

Klaus tells his younger brother that he'll be home soon. "You wanted to know more about Helen. Come with me, and I'll tell you." She hesitates. "I'm sure Damon will be thrilled to learn more about the newest addition to town."

Caroline scoffs; he needs to do better in his excuses to spend time with her. "I can't," she says. It feels like she's being saying that a lot lately. "I have to stay and clean up."

Klaus looks down the hall and hands the trash can to Caroline. "Hold this." She grips the sides, frowning. One second Klaus is standing beside her, and the next he's a blur through the school, gathering the mess as he goes. He stops in front of Caroline seconds later and she stands in awe at how clean it all is. "Done."

"That's cheating."

Klaus starts walking towards the front entrance. He twists back to Caroline and holds out his hand. She ignores it, strutting past him, to the familiar Maserati. "If I had a car this nice, there's no way I'd trust you to drive it."

"Let's just say she didn't have much choice in the matter," he retorts, starting the engine.

Caroline fiddles with her hair; Damon's going to kill her for this, she knows it. "So. Tell me about her. And would you slow down? I may be dead, but I can still feel pain."

"It's a rather tedious story," he says. "But Helen was the witch I had the first time I tried to break the curse. She was very good friends with my sister. They were inseparable, until Helen met our brother. They became lovers for quite some time."

"Elijah?" Caroline knew through Elena that Elijah was with Klaus during that time.

"Don't interrupt," he scolds. "There was never any doubt of Helen's affections. But after a year or two, she realized he was incapable of providing her with the one thing she wanted most in the world; a family, children. We made a deal; if she helped me break the curse, I would let her go, and my siblings would believe she'd been killed."

Caroline starts to speak, but she remembers his earlier words, and stops.

This seems to amuse him. "However, Kol found out that she planned on leaving him," he continues, smiling slightly, which frightens Caroline. "One thing you should understand, love, is that my younger siblings don't take too kindly to rejection. Kol was enraged. He ripped Helen's heart out, stating that if he couldn't have her, no one could."

"How romantic."

Klaus smirks, looking at her. She hadn't even realized the car was parked. Caroline starts to open the front door, when a person – Kol, she notes – flies through. The younger Original is up within seconds, charging back through the mansion like a deranged bull, to a young woman with red hair.

Who Caroline assumes is Helen.

Still, her panic goes unnoticed.

"I thought you said they were lovers," she mutters to Klaus.

"I also said he ripped her heart out."

Kol hurls the girl at the wall, where she smashes her head against the plaster, and Caroline thinks for sure that she's dead, after seeing and smelling all the blood. But Helen holds up her hand, eyes blazing; Kol falls to his knees, screaming, while he clutches his head agonizingly.

Caroline's not sure if she should be terrified or impressed; it had to take a lot of power to harm an Original vampire.

"ENOUGH."

Klaus's voice stops them both. Even Caroline jumps.

"If you two want to kill each other, fine, but take it outside," he growls furiously.

-}{-

_**a/n:** there you have it; helen's story. tell me how much you hated this. oh, and some people might be happy to know, rebekah's coming back._


End file.
